WCW: Monday Nitro
October 19, 1998
Minneapolis, MN
Target Center

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Bill Goldberg (7/6/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Bret Hart (8/13/1998)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Giant & Scott Hall (7/20/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Chris Jericho (8/10/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Billy Kidman (9/14/1998)

Does anybody really care if Ric Flair knows one of the owners of the United Center in Chicago? Is that *really* that interesting to the casual viewer?

HOUR NUMBER ONE! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zbyszko. Minneapolis gives Larry Z some love.

NITRO GIRLS~!

They replay the whole scene from last week when Eric Bischoff got carried out of the United Center by security and hauled off in a squad car. It’s like Stone Cold Steve Austin’s current situation, but not really at all like it.

• Perry Saturn vs. Kenny Kaos

High Voltage has gone solo as we saw Robbie “Roid” Rage recently in singles action. Kaos looks to be going heel as he back elbows the shit to escape a hammerlock, puts Saturn down with a clothesline, and soaks it in. Saturn finds a facebuster off the knees and hits a swinging neckbreaker. The crowd is into Saturn. I even heard a smattering of an ECW chant. Saturn finds a springboard forearm smash, but gets dumped out. Geez, was that supposed to be a hotshot? Some ringside violence ensues. Back inside, Kaos runs into Saturn in the corner and delivers a STANDING gutwrench powerbomb for two. That was pretty powerful stuff. Crowd is hating on Kaos and I like it. He takes forever with a press slam and it looks like his elbow is sore. Saturn forces Kaos into the corner and delivers a bunch of kicks for two. Jawbreaker by Kaos, but he can’t capitalize as Saturn pulls him into a belly to belly overhead suplex. There’s a Falcon Arrow move to Kaos. That sets up the DEATH VALLEY DRIVER for the win. (4:23) Holy crap the crowd loves Saturn. What a missed opportunity. *½

Earlier in the day, Mike Tenay talks to the marks about seeing Eric Bischoff get carried out of the United Center last week. See how these guys don’t look like they live in their mom’s basement or make obscure video game references on their signs they bring to the shows? Yeah, wrestling is dead.

Gene Okerlund brings out Ernest Miller to the ring. Miller hates Minneapolis, but Okerlund LOVES Minneapolis. Okerlund doesn’t like the way Miller is talking to him, so he gives Miller the mic, gives Miller the ol’ UP YOURS, and walks out. What a professional! By the way, nobody can beat Miller around here. A plant from the crowd tries to get at Miller. It’s Chuck Palumbo! You know it’s a plant when Doug Dellinger is that quickly on the scene. Miller calls him Scooby Doo and dares him to get in the ring. Well, Dellinger and security let him in the ring, where Miller proceeds to kick the shit out of him. Dellinger and the security guys take forever getting Miller out of there.

We get a video package of the Scott Hall and Kevin Nash feud. It’s mostly just Nash running through the parking lot to get at Hall. Ugh.

Get your WCW Mastercard today!

Hey look, it’s another Nitro Party Video from Pearl, Mississippi. They won, but no Nitro Girls. Sorry.

Speaking of the Nitro Girls, NITRO GIRLS~! Fyre must have the night off.

They replay Scott Steiner’s promo cutting down his brother Rick.

More replays. Now they show Chucky talking to Rick Steiner. Yep. DON’T MESS WITH SCOTT – and go see my new movie – in theaters everywhere!

Get your Diamond Dallas Page BANG t-shirt for only $20 bucks.

Now a Goldberg versus DDP for Halloween Havoc video package.

• The LWO (Hector Garza, El Dandy, Damien, and Psychosis) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr., Ciclope, La Parka, and Lizmark Jr.

Eddie Guerrero is conspicuous by his absence. Total lucha rules here. La Parka struts standing on top of his chair in the middle of the ring. Damien tries to mock him and gets kicked off the chair for laughs. Let’s get this going. Lizmark and Damien start us off going from corner to corner. We see a ten-count corner punch and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Damien. Moonsault press by Lizmark gets a one-count. Next up, we see Garza and La Parka. The crowd loves that La Parka guy. Damien is quite the comedian tonight as he tries La Parka’s strut on the apron and falls to the floor. Nevermind about Garza. El Dandy enters the match and slaps La Parka around. La Parka returns the favor and hits a jumping enziguri. In comes Ciclope and Hector Garza. There’s a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Ciclope as all four members of the LWO stomp him. Psychosis takes over and sets up Ciclope in the corner for Damien to run up and bring him down with a headscissors for two. Garza missile dropkicks Ciclope over to Chavo for a tag. The crowd pops for Chavito. In comes El Dandy, they start running the ropes as Chavo gives him a monkey flip. Psychosis and Lizmark enter the fight. Lizmark gives Psychosis a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Damien comes in and helps out with a double-team. He whips Psychosis into a corner where Lizmark was at, but Lizmark moves and Psychosis runs his shoulder into the post. Lizmark then runs to Damien and delivers a spinning heel kick. Ciclope helps out by giving Damien a missile dropkick out to the floor. With Psychosis and Damien on the floor, Ciclope and Lizmark deliver STEREO PLANCHAS that are pretty ugly. The crowd pops anyways. In the ring, everybody starts coming off the top rope and nobody hits their move, so they go to the floor as the tecnicos start flying. Back inside, Ciclope holds up Psychosis for a springboard missile dropkick by Lizmark for a two-count. While Ciclope and Lizmark continue to rough up Psychosis, La Parka returns with his STEEL CHAIR and whacks both Ciclope and Lizmark. Tony and Larry at least don’t seem too concerned. Psychosis flies in with the GUILLOTINE LEGDROP to Ciclope for the win. (5:50) Looks like La Parka has gone LWO. Eddie Guerrero slithers out to the ring and offers La Parka a t-shirt. Eddie yells out to Eric Bischoff that these guys are the future whether he likes it or not. Kiss their butts, Eric. Not the finest eight-man lucha match in WCW, but had its moments. **

We get a recap video of the Bret Hart and Sting feud.

• Kanyon vs. Scott Putski

Larry Z refers to Kanyon as “boring” which is debatable, I guess. Our esteemed commentators start discussing the Wrath and Meng feud for some reason. Back and forth stuff to start. Putski hits a back suplex and a tilt-a-whirl sideslam. Kanyon finds a swinging neckbreaker and then delivers a flying faceslam for two. We go to the floor where Kanyon drops Putski from the steps onto the ring apron. Back inside, Putski finds an overhead suplex. Nobody cares. It looks to be Polish Hammer time, but Kanyon ducks and hits a weird flapjack. The FLATLINER ends Putski. (4:12) They need to find something for guys like Kanyon and Saturn to do here. *

More Hogan/Warrior hype.

Get your WCW/nWo Magazine. There’s “never before seen” pictures of Road Wild! Who is on Warrior’s hit list? Also, Scott Hall speaks out about ex-partner Kevin Nash! GET IT TODAY!

HOUR NUMBER TWO! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zbyszko.

Scott Steiner comes out to the ring all by his lonesome. He rips the mic away from Dave Penzer. Steiner mentions his “freaks” keeping him warm in Minnesota and how he had amazing sex with them. BIG POPPA PUMP IS YOUR HOOKUP. HOLLA IF YOU HEAR HIM. Talk turns to the “tramp” Judy Bagwell and how he put her son in his place last week. He then declares himself the “greatest athlete in pro sports today” and dares anybody from the Minnesota Vikings (SKOL!) to come fight him. Well, Rick Steiner comes down (when did he play for the Vikings?!) and puts over the Vikings for being undefeated. He dares Scott to a fight in the “dog pound” right now. We get a quick showdown between the two. Rick punches first and hits a Steinerline. Scott runs into a boot in the corner for his great bump and then low blows Rick to put a stop to the madness. He then brings a chair into the ring and whacks Rick in the knee. Scott then goes to swing at Rick over the head when BUFF BAGWELL runs down and takes the chair away before any more damage can be put on Rick. Scott throws up the “too sweet” to Buff, but Bagwell doesn’t care. He swings the chair at Scott and misses as Scott ducks and rolls out to escape within an inch of his life. Crowd goes NUTS to end the segment.

Special video look at the Nitro Girls! Oh yeah, and then we get more NITRO GIRLS~!

Here’s a special message from UNICEF featuring Sarah Jessica Parker from that new family favorite TV show – Sex and the City!

Now we get another video as Goldberg shills UNICEF.

• Fit Finley vs. Davey Boy Smith

This is both sadly and not so sadly the last time we will be talking about Davey Boy Smith in WCW. He’s certainly suffering at this point with his demons. They run the ropes and Davey Boy grounds Finley with a chinlock. Finley comes back and rips at the face and elbow drops Davey Boy for two. He slams Smith’s chest off the apron, but then misses a corner charge. Bulldog hits a back elbow and follows up with a backdrop. Ref Nick Patrick gets knocked away due to an out of control Davey Boy. Alex Wright shows up at the right time and missile dropkicks the British Bulldog. That staggers Davey Boy into the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER from Finley as Wright wakes up Patrick to give Finley the three-count. (3:21) Finley doesn’t like Wright interfering in his match and gives him a Finley Roll for good measure. FIT FINLEY CONTROLS EUROPE. ¾*

Gene Okerlund brings out the WCW world TV champ Chris Jericho who is accompanied by Ralphus. JERICHO – 1, GREENBERG – 0. He runs down Goldberg (or Greenberg) and challenges him to another match. Okerlund says Goldberg is at a UNICEF function. Since Goldberg won’t be here, Jericho tries to goad DDP to a match instead. Out comes Diamond Dallas Page, he kicks away Ralphus, admits Jericho never beat Goldberg or DDP, so tonight Jericho will get BANGED.

We check in with Scott Hall. He’s at the bar here in the Target Center. But wait, isn’t he supposed to be wrestling tonight in a big six man tag against the nWo Wolfpac? OH BOY.

• Wrath vs. Tokyo Magnum

Poor Tokyo Magnum. He gets his world rocked. MELTDOWN ends Tokyo Magnum in 1:18.

UNICEF!

From earlier tonight, they show us Buff Bagwell shaking Rick Steiner’s hand during an ad break and throwing away his nWo t-shirt.

• Alex Wright & Disco Inferno vs. Super Calo & Silver King

Bobby Heenan replaces Larry Z for the rest of the show. Anyways, the luchadores decide to give their match instead to…CHRIS BENOIT AND DEAN MALENKO.

• Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (w/Arn Anderson) vs. Alex Wright & Disco Inferno

I can dig it. Arn Anderson shakes their hands and gives them a wink as if to say their checks are in the mail. Well, Eric Bischoff saunters out and then decides to go to the announce table. He steals Tenay’s headset and says there are five people working for free tonight – mentioning Silver King, Super Calo, Arn Anderson, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko since the Four Horsemen aren’t even supposed to be in the building. This is HUGE because we’re seeing the return of Chris Benoit to the ring. Malenko and Wright go through a fancy wristlock exchange. Wright runs into a drop toehold, but then catches Malenko with a clothesline. Malenko telegraphs a dropkick, but fires right back on Wright. Tag to Disco, he eats a dropkick from Malenko. He hits a suplex on Disco, but then runs into a knee from Wright on the apron. Disco grabs him for a swinging neckbreaker. Wright tags in and hits a spinning heel kick and a body slam. Back over to Disco, he hits a flying elbow and dances in the corner. Bischoff is PISSED about how his commands aren’t being followed by certain talent. Tag to Benoit, he chops the shit out of Disco and kicks the crap out of him in the corner. He even unloads the nostrils on Disco as well. Next thing we know, Benoit pulls Disco down into the CRIPPLER CROSSFACE and gets the tapout in mere seconds. (2:55) Benoit actually stays off TV for another month. Arn Anderson stands in the ring and points over to Bischoff with Benoit and Malenko beside him. Crowd wants Flair.  *½

Scott Hall is still sitting in the bar talking to some Minneapolis moms for the lulz.

Get your DDP – BANG t-shirt for only $20 bucks.

• Diamond Dallas Page vs. Chris Jericho

The TV title obviously is not on the line – or is it? Ralphus is conspicuous by his absence. DDP is JACKED UP tonight. Due to DDP being JACKED UP, Jericho takes a powder. Back in, DDP finds a left handed lariat and hits the Flapjack for two. Jericho stops a ten-count corner punch with a hotshot and delivers his springboard dropkick to knock DDP off the apron to the guardrail. We get some more guardrail action with Jericho in control. Back inside, C’MON BABY gets one. DDP punches back and a discus clothesline connects. Back suplex gets two. Jericho hits a jawbreaker and runs down DDP for the Lionsault for 1-2-NO! DDP reverses out of a suplex and goes for the Diamond Cutter, but Jericho low blows him to escape. Time for the Liontamer, but DDP flips him over and catches Jericho with a tilt-a-whirl sideslam. He calls for the Diamond Cutter. Wait, GOLDBERG is in the ring. He runs down Jericho with the Spear for the DQ. (5:32) He wants the Jackhammer, but DDP grabs Jericho by the legs and pulls him into the DIAMOND CUTTER. Seeing what could happen next, JJ DILLON and various referees show up to get in between DDP and Goldberg for the big fight at Havoc. Good angle that I believe ends the situation between Goldberg and Jericho. Plus, it heated up Goldberg and DDP. **

Scott Hall is still talking to Minneapolis moms about his problems with a guy named “Big Sexy”. What a world.

HOUR NUMBER THREE! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

• WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Billy Kidman (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

REY IS BACK – again. We’ve got waistlocks and headlocks to start. Rey picks up the action and finds a headscissors, but Kidman slingshots himself from the apron into the ring to take Rey down with a headscissors of his own. Rey lands on his feet out of a reverse suplex, but Kidman catches him with a dropkick. Kidman grabs a chinlock to slow things down. He then whips Rey hard from corner to corner. Mysterio comes back with a spinning heel kick. He comes off the top with a flying body press for 1-2-NO! Kidman throws away a wheelbarrow suplex for two. They fight over a suplex on the apron. Rey wins the battle and brings Kidman over the top rope down to the floor causing Kidman to wrench his knee. Wanting to win the CW title, Mysterio goes out and brings Kidman back inside the ring. Kidman hammers back on Rey and delivers a sitout powerbomb for two. Back to the chinlock. Mysterio fights up, but gets whipped in the corner chest-first as Kidman comes off the ropes for a clothesline for two. Rey finds another way to come back as he headscissors Kidman all the way over the top rope to the floor. Mysterio then delivers a somersault splash onto Kidman. They fight up on the top rope, but Kidman falls and drapes himself on the actual top rope. Rey then comes off with a guillotine leg drop for two. Kidman wins a slugfest, but misses a flying splash. Mysterio heads up to the top rope again. Flying seated senton gets 1-2-NO! There’s the Rocker Dropper for two. Crowd is doing the wave. Oh boy. BK Bomb by Kidman gets 1-2-NO! The Tornado Bulldog sets up for the Shooting Star Press, but Rey crotches him for a flying headscissors. Mysterio lands what looked like an inverted Pedigree for two. He goes for it all off the top rope, but Kidman stops him on the way down with a dropkick. The bell sounds and the time limit has expired. (12:23) Well, that’s the strangest time limit I’ve ever seen. Good match, but they will have better ones in the months to come. ***

Gene Okerlund welcomes the Mayor of Minneapolis Sharon Sayles Belton to the ring. Can you imagine bringing a politician onto a wrestling show in 2021? No way. This is 1998 and she gets booed. There’s plenty of shoot police officers there to protect her. She brings out Minnesota sports stars Kirby Puckett and John Randle – and then Minnesota native RIC FLAIR. Believe it or not, today is “Ric Flair Day” in Minneapolis. Before Ric Flair can get into Flair Mode on the mic, Eric Bischoff comes out to poo-poo on the party. Naturally, the mayor gets up in Eric’s face. When Bischoff won’t shut up, Randle and Puckett stand in between them and stare intently in Eric’s face. Much like last week, Flair is loving it. One of the Minneapolis’ Finest warns Bischoff that if he pulls what he did in Chicago, he’ll be going DOWNTOWN. He also randomly mentions some unpaid warrants and gives Bischoff twenty minutes to leave the building. Bischoff leaves to go find his attorney and announces he’ll be back before the show is over. A camera follows Bischoff backstage and his Cadillac is getting towed. This man is having the worst week EVER.

NITRO GIRLS~!

• Kevin Nash, Lex Luger & Konnan vs. Scott Hall, Scott Norton & Stevie Ray

Norton shows up with the IWGP heavyweight title around his waist, which means he won’t be doing the J-O-B tonight. Scott Hall stumbles out with a drink in his hand. But wait, Kevin Nash is backstage drunk too wearing an Outsiders t-shirt (for only $20 bucks!). Nash takes his time coming out to the ring. What a mess. Konnan starts off with Stevie Ray. He gets whipped into a corner and comes off doing the Rolling Lariat. Tag to Luger, he slams and clotheslines Norton over and over again. Stevie Ray causes the distraction as Norton takes over. More nWo beatdown on Lex. He and Norton collide for the double-KO. The crowd is fairly quiet here. Nash and Hall get tagged into the match and the crowd wakes up. Turns out Nash was just funning. He ain’t really drunk at all! Nash throws away the Dixie cup and lays in the punches. Hall does that bit where his feet hang off the top rope to prevent him from falling to the floor. The match breaks down and the ref IMMEDIATELY calls for the bell to DQ somebody. (6:18) Norton and Stevie Ray helps Hall to the back and they leave to go tell Hollywood Hogan something. Seems like a countout would have made more sense, but who has ten solid seconds these days? ½*

Michael Buffer introduces Hollywood Hogan to the ring. Oops, wrong music. There ya go. Play some Voodoo Chile. Hogan runs off Buffer and reminds everybody he’s the god of wrestling and the world champ no matter what anybody says. He tells Warrior to pay close attention because he’s going to beat up his nephew Horace. Hollywood brings Horace out and makes him confess that his full name is Horace Hogan. Hogan overexplains that they are family. We get it, Hulk. Now Hollywood wants his nWo boys to come to witness what’s about to happen. Giant, Vincent, Scott Norton, and Stevie Ray join the two. Hulk tells Horace he loves him and offers him the nWo shirt off his back. Hulk refuses to sacrifice his nephew like everybody in WCW wants to see. Warrior talks about making sacrifices and Hulk says here’s one now as he beats the shit out of Horace – whips him with his weightlifting belt and gives him a chairshot to bust him wide open. WHAT. Hulk says if that’s what he would do to family, imagine what he’ll do to the Warrior at Halloween Havoc. Horace starts to do a stretcher job, but Hulk turns the stretcher over. After Havoc, Hollywood wants Warrior to admit that he’s the man who ran him out of wrestling. Next thing we know, Warrior runs down to the ring and cleans house on the nWo Hollywood crew with a baseball bat. Ugh, some LAME bat shots. He needed to see how Sting does it. Hogan is the first to leave and naturally leaves untouched. He says he’ll fight the Warrior right now if he puts down the bat. In comes the Giant, he headbutts Warrior and gives him a CHOKESLAM. Whoa! Hogan then tags Warrior with the “NWO” across the chest and LEGDROPS him twice. This did not get the heat you would think it would. It didn’t get cheered. It didn’t get booed. Just not much of a reaction at all.

Bret Hart walks down to the ring unannounced and no music. Bret has been inspired by what Hogan just did and since he never gets any respect from the people (except for his cat Smoky), it’s dawned on him to kick the crap out of Sting. Why wait until Halloween Havoc? He’s ready to do it tonight. Bret is so tired of Sting trying to kiss up to him, carry his bags, and for years he’s tried to pretend to be as good as Bret. Sting has copied everything about Bret and the fact is Sting is just the STUPIDEST there is, the STUPIDEST there was, and the STUPIDEST there ever will be. That’s enough to bring out Sting. Bret yells that he’ll try not to mess up Sting’s mascara. Yikes.

• Bret Hart vs. Sting

Sting takes off his trench coat and pounds Bret into the corner. He delivers an inverted atomic drop and we go to the floor for some ringside violence. Back inside, Sting slams Bret and delivers the jumping elbow drop for two. He tries a pump splash that Bret blocks with his knees. Bret headbutts the abdomen and runs Sting’s face over the top rope. He hits a backbreaker, but Sting brings up a boot to block the flying elbow drop. Sting delivers a hotshot and grabs a SCORPION DEATHLOCK, but Bret is in the ropes. Sting refuses to release the hold and lets ref Mickey Jay know that he better get help because he won’t let go. (4:09) Stevie Ray and Vincent come out and start hammering Sting. FINALLY, Sting is forced to let go of Bret. SCORPION DEATHDROP to Vincent. He punches Stevie Ray out of the ring. Stevie Ray and Vincent help Bret back to the locker room. Once they get to the tunnel, Sting is shown coming after them as we close out the show. ½*

Here’s something much more entertaining that happened around this time: